Gearing up for the Old Dominion 100

Finally on the plane headed to my race and have a minute to reflect,   I'm worried...

After a brutal week at work, temperatures on a continual rise towards triple digits and an arm that's all jacked up with no relief in sight, I must say I have my concerns about this weekends attempt at the Old Dominion 100. Time to put my faith back into the past 18 weeks of training and hope for the best.

But wait...  the plane's #1 engine is failing... Looks like I've got one more thing to worry about. (Fortunately I'm still on the ground at this point)

This is all pretty normal I suppose. If I didn't have things to worry about before the race I'd probably be really stressed out!  Oh well. It is what it is I suppose.

So, why Old Dominion one might ask.  Well the bottom line is, because its the one where my friends were going.  Not that I just follow along like a puppy, but there is definitely something to be said about the support of friends nearby, even if you don't expect to see them for the entire race.  Someone to travel with, commiserate with and probably most importantly someone to train with.  It takes an awful lot to train for a 100 mile race and having someone to work through that with is well worth it.   Plus, its not to far from where I grew up.  (Family used to take weekend camping trips to the Shanendoah mountains.)  And I also went to school at Virginia Tech just down the road a bit.  And it's the Old Dominion!  the oldest 100 east of California (only second to Western States). Been running this race since 1979!
And on a more personal note, my first 100 was admittedly a bit of a "cupcake" of a 100 (if there is such a thing) as it was all Rails-to-Trails and not that much elevation.   OD is a classic, has 14000 feet of climb and will challenge me a bit more without the full step up to a mountain course out west.   So all in all it just seemed to be a good choice.

Now there is nothing to do but get it done.  One thing to note is that this race believes in tradition.  It's motto is "100 miles in One Day" and it means it.  There are no "copper buckles" or whatever for those that finish over 24 hrs.  If you don't do it, no buckle.

I brought a pair of pants to wear after the race that are 2 sizes too big for me and I brought a belt. But the belt has no buckle. If you see me on Sunday holding my pants up, please take it easy on me.